Plumbers install and repair the water, waste disposal, drainage, and gas systems in homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Plumbers also install plumbing fixtures—bathtubs, showers, sinks, and toilets—and appliances such as dishwashers and water heaters. Pipefitters install and repair both high-pressure and low-pressure pipe systems used in manufacturing. Plumbers must be able to follow building plans or blueprints and instructions from supervisors, lay out the job, and work efficiently with the materials and tools of their trade.

Refrigeration and air-conditioning systems consist of many mechanical, electrical, and electronic components, such as: motors, compressors, pumps, fans, ducts, pipes, thermostats, and switches. Technicians must be able to maintain, diagnose, and correct problems throughout the entire system. To do this, they adjust system controls to recommended settings and test the performance of the system using special tools and test equipment. Technicians often specialize in either installation or maintenance and repair. They also may specialize in doing heating work or air-conditioning or refrigeration work.

The Instructional Program

New students are accepted for the fall semester into the A.O.S. degree program, and can then choose to begin their first year in the Plumbing, Heating, and Pipefitting advisement track or in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning advisement track. While completing course work in the A.O.S. degree program, students may choose to earn one-year certificates by working closely with their advisor.

Distinctive Features

Delhi's skilled-trades students are sometimes given the opportunity to do a “hands-on” project.

SUNY Delhi uses Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES) training manuals in all its refrigeration courses. Membership in the RSES Student Chapter is included in the textbook cost, and students take the RSES certification exam as a part of their program.

SUNY Delhi's faculty in Plumbing, Heating, and Pipefitting and in Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning are veteran instructors and experienced tradesmen who remain active in their fields.

Career Options

Job opportunities are expected to be very good, as demand for skilled plumbers and pipefitters is expected to outpace the supply of well-trained workers in this field. Workers with welding experience should have especially good opportunities. For those who would like to advance, it is increasingly important to be able to communicate in both English and Spanish in order to relay instructions and safety precautions to workers with limited understanding of English.

Curriculum

SUNY Curriculum Code: 1159

SUNY General Education Requirements: Students who intend to receive A.A., A.S., or baccalaureate degrees must satisfy SUNY and campus General Education (GE) requirements to graduate. Students should be aware that GE requirements may vary by academic program. Consult with your academic advisor. For general information, see the "General Education" section of this catalog.

A.A.S. and A.O.S. degree students may not be required to fulfill General Education (GE) requirements; however, any student who may wish to transfer should complete as many GE courses as possible. Consult with your academic advisor.

Note: The courses listed below for the first and second semesters may be reversed with the courses listed for the third and fourth semesters, depending on the advisement track chosen by the student on entry: the Plumbing/heating/pipefitting track or the Refrigeration/air-conditioning track. These advisement tracks permit students who successfully complete their first year, but who cannot attend college for a second year, to exit with a certificate that qualifies them to apply for a job in that field. Students must identify their advisement track before beginning their first semester.

* Students only take one Mathematics and one Safety and First Aid course; if either course has already been taken, a replacement course will be advised for this semester. Mathematics is by placement according to competency; MATH 102 Mathematics for Applied Technology is the minimum exit-level requirement for this program.

Technical Standards: In addition to academic requirements, all applicants must also be able to meet the minimum Technical Standards for the program, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Admissions Requirements

To be eligible for consideration, an applicant must:

be a high school graduate with a minimum 73% overall average or a minimum 2500 GED test score

have a 70% or higher grade on the Algebra Regents exam

Student Learning Outcomes

A graduate of the Plumbing and Refrigeration A.O.S. degree program should be able to:

Understand and apply the International Plumbing Code and New York State Code.

Display the ability to measure, cut, and join steel pipe, copper tubing, plastic and cast-iron soil pipe; demonstrate knowledge of fittings as well as basic fabrication of sheet-metal principles and layout techniques.

Exhibit basic drafting techniques as they relate to the plumbing, heating, and pipefitting field through the completion of various drawings, such as: piping isometrics, plumbing floor plans, and riser diagrams.